Archives: Meet Our India Fulbrighters

Shikha Dixit

Dr. Shikha Dixit received her B.Sc. degree in agriculture from Indira Gandhi Krishi Vishwavidyalaya, Raipur in 2010. She obtained her postgraduation degree in plant biotechnology from the University of Agricultural Sciences, Bengaluru. She received an ICAR fellowship during her graduation and a DBT fellowship for her postgraduate studies after securing ninth position in a national-level exam. She received her Ph.D. in molecular biology and biotechnology in the year 2020 from the Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi. Her Ph.D. research was focused on understanding the defense molecular signaling pathway in response to fungal pathogens. During her postdoctoral research, she worked on DBT-funded and ICAR-funded projects, focusing on improving tolerance against necrotrophic pathogens by finding unique signaling factors in response to pathogens. She has published her research in prestigious journals and has also presented her findings at numerous national and international conferences. Apart from the academic fellowships, she is also the recipient of the IARI merit medal in 2020 and the ITS grant in 2023.

Adverse climatic conditions affect both plants and pathogens. Given their rapid adaptation ability, fluctuations in the weather pattern provide pathogens with more favorable conditions to thrive and increase the possibility of intense disease breakouts. As a Fulbright-Nehru Postdoctoral Research fellow at the Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, Dr. Dixit is identifying genes conferring favorable root architecture and pathogen tolerance under the dual-stress situation.

Deblina Dey

Dr. Deblina Dey is an associate professor of sociology and the assistant director of the Centre for Law and Humanities at the Jindal Global Law School, O.P. Jindal Global University, Sonipat. She was a Hunt Postdoctoral fellow with the Wenner-Gren Foundation for Anthropological Research, based in New York. The University Grants Commission, Government of India, awarded her the Junior and Senior Research fellowships for doctoral research in sociology at the Centre for the Study of Law and Governance, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi.

Dr. Dey writes on contemporary socio-legal issues and has published in edited volumes and reputed international journals on topics such as dispute resolution forums for older people, custodial neglect of older political prisoners, and religious norms related to end-of-life care. In 2022, she was awarded the Prof. Nirendra Chandra Choudhury Young Scholar award in social anthropology and sociology for her research contribution by the Indian Anthropological Society. She has been an alumna of academies and workshops organized by the Institute for Global Law and Policy, Harvard University, and is a team member for events at the Law and Social Sciences Research Network (LASSnet), a global platform to generate critical discourse on law in South Asia.

As a Fulbright-Nehru Postdoctoral Research fellow at DePaul University, Chicago, IL, Dr. Dey is studying different eldercare models in urban India, focusing on the interventions made by law, market and philanthropic institutions. Her ethnographic research highlights the experiences of marginalization in late life and suggests ways to evolve better mechanisms to address abandonment, elder abuse and neglect.

Sonika Chibh

Dr. Sonika Chibh is a postdoctoral fellow at Tel Aviv University, Israel. She obtained her B.Tech. in biotechnology degree from Jaypee University of Information Technology, Solan, Himachal Pradesh in 2014, and her master’s (M.Tech.) in biotechnology from Thapar University, Patiala, Punjab in 2016. She then received her Ph.D. in 2022 from the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research/ Institute of Nanoscience and Technology Mohali, Punjab. Her Ph.D. work focused on the formation of self-assembled peptide-based nanoparticles as a drug delivery system in cancer therapy. Her postdoctoral research at Tel Aviv University focused on the development of monoclonal antibodies against phenylalanine for the treatment of phenylketonuria, with Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd.

Dr. Sonika Chibh has published several research articles in recognized international journals during her Ph.D. and postdoctoral studies. She received a George S. Wise Post-doctoral fellowship at Tel Aviv University in 2022. During her Ph.D. she received the Young Researcher award in an oral presentation organized by SYBS in 2021. She also received the Best Poster award in Bengaluru Nano in 2022.

As a Fulbright-Nehru Postdoctoral Research fellow at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Dr. Chibh is working on a project entitled “Design of Chemokine-Based Self-Assembled Nanoparticles for Receptor-mediated Specific Drug Delivery”. This project is in collaboration with Dr. Shuguang Zhang and MIT Institute Professor Robert Langer, who is the father of controlled drug delivery.

Siddharth Bhardwaj

Dr. Siddharth Bhardwaj is currently serving as a faculty member in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Coimbatore. His research interests include ergonomics, human factors, human motor adaptation, and rehabilitation robotics. He obtained his Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from Aligarh Muslim University (2020), where his research focused on developing EMG-based control strategies for lower limb rehabilitation devices.

Dr. Bhardwaj has three years of postdoctoral experience at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Gandhinagar, Gujarat. During his time at IIT Gandhinagar, he contributed to the development of a passive back exosuit for manual lifting tasks and investigated sensory augmentation and virtual reality (VR) technology for improving postural balance and control. Dr. Bhardwaj has published several research articles in reputed journals and has been granted one patent in the field of mechanical engineering. His other scientific and academic recognitions include multiple Best Paper awards at international conferences, DST Postdoctoral Fellowship (2021-2023), CSIR Senior Research Fellowship (2017-2020), and university medal in MTech (mechanical engineering) from Aligarh Muslim University (2014).

As a Fulbright-Nehru Postdoctoral Research fellow, Dr. Bhardwaj is studying the effect of personal and environmental factors on the gait and balance of individuals with Parkinson’s disease (PD). The study of these interacting factors is particularly important as freezing of gait and fall in PD patients is associated with response inhibition, divided attention, and visuospatial function. In particular, the project will explore VR-based visual perturbations incorporating personal and environmental factors for developing unique gait and balance training paradigms for PD patients.

Prakash Babu Kodali

Dr. Prakash Babu Kodali serves as an assistant professor in the Department of Public Health and Community Medicine at the Central University of Kerala (CUK), Kasaragod. His research is primarily centered on the prevention of non-communicable diseases (NCD), fortifying health systems, and promoting health. He has a keen interest in several areas, including tobacco control, healthcare financing, hypertension prevention and control, and digital health. Dr. Kodali has been an integral part of multidisciplinary research teams studying contemporary public health issues.

Dr. Kodali completed his Master of Public Health (MPH) from the University of Hyderabad, and M.Phil. and Ph.D. from Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai. He was a recipient of the Junior Research Fellowship in social medicine and community health, awarded by the University Grants Commission of India between 2015 and 2016. Dr. Kodali’s research portfolio includes the study of tobacco usage patterns in India, international comparisons of tobacco cessation behaviors, the impact of tobacco-control laws, and the efficacy of anti-tobacco health education strategies.

As a Fulbright-Nehru Postdoctoral Research fellow, Dr. Kodali is investigating tobacco cessation among socio-economically vulnerable groups. His research combines nationally representative datasets, key informant interviews, and epidemiological approaches to develop a comprehensive framework for improving access to tobacco cessation services in the U.S. and India.

Abhijeet Atmaram Ghanwat

Dr. Abhijeet Atmaram Ghanwat is currently an NBHM postdoctoral fellow at the Department of Mathematics, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Tamil Nadu. He earned his B.Sc. in 2012 from Tuljaram Chaturchand College, Baramati, affiliated with Savitribai Phule Pune University, and completed his M.Sc. in 2014 at Savitribai Phule Pune University. In July 2021, he was awarded a Ph.D. from the Chennai Mathematical Institute, Tamil Nadu. Dr. Ghanwat was a visiting fellow at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research Mumbai from August 2021 to July 2023.

Dr. Ghanwat’s research interests are primarily in the field of low-dimensional topology, with a focus on the open books of 3-manifolds, Lefschetz fibrations of 4-manifolds, and trisections of 4-manifolds. He has published several research articles in reputed international journals. He has qualified for the CSIR-UGC NET and GATE examinations, and he was also awarded a gold medal by Savitribai Phule Pune University for achieving the first rank in his M.Sc. program.

As a Fulbright-Nehru Postdoctoral Research fellow at the University of Georgia, Athens, GA, Dr. Ghanwat is focusing on trisections of 4-manifolds, a pioneering area of study introduced in 2016 by Prof. David Gay and Prof. Robion Kirby. The trisection theory has quickly become an important tool in understanding the topology of 4-dimensional manifolds. During his fellowship, Dr. Ghanwat aims to explore minimal genus (relative) trisections and investigate their properties.

Kavita Yadav

Dr. Kavita Yadav is currently teaching at a government school in Delhi. She recently completed her PhD in linguistics from Jawaharlal Nehru University. Throughout her academic journey, she has been deeply interested in the interplay between language and society. Dr. Yadav has presented numerous papers at prestigious national and international conferences, exploring language through various linguistic principles. She has also published several papers in media studies and linguistics. She was awarded a national fellowship by the University Grants Commission (UGC), Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Government of India.

Dr. Yadav’s research interests include critical discourse analysis, media linguistics, and English Language Teaching (ELT). Her work examines the power dynamics within language use and media representations, providing insightful critiques and fostering a deeper understanding of societal issues. She has collaborated with various NGOs and international organizations to support underprivileged children and women, striving to blend her education and social consciousness holistically.

As a Fulbright Foreign Language Teaching Assistant, Dr. Yadav is teaching Hindi at Ohio University in Athens, OH. Her rich experiences with diverse cultures inform her efforts to build cross-cultural connections through literature, culinary arts, and performing arts. She aspires to create a dynamic, student-centred classroom that integrates literature, food, art, and media, fostering multicultural perspectives and enriching the educational experience of her students.

Tuba Tasneem

Tuba Tasneem is a literature enthusiast with an academic background. She is currently working as a consultant at Unifye, where she creates curriculum and content for vocational and educational courses, enhancing the efficiency for companies through innovative storytelling. She has also served as an educational content writer at Hurak, London where she created over 25 courses. Her dedication to education extended to her role as an assistant professor at Villa Marie Degree College for Women, Hyderabad where she taught English and organized literary events to engage students.

Tuba holds a master’s in English literature from the English and Foreign Languages University, Hyderabad. She completed her bachelor’s in English from Patna University. Tuba has qualified the National Eligibility Test for assistant professorship in English.

Tuba weaves her passion for medical humanities through diverse pursuits. She completed the course ‘International Women’s Health and Human Rights’ from Stanford University and explored medical narratives in contemporary literature through a faculty development program. In 2023, her TEDx talk at the Harvard Project for Asian and International Relations (HPAIR) conference in Hong Kong illuminated the poignant intersection of women’s rights, history, and postpartum depression.

As a Fulbright Foreign Language Teaching Assistant at Brown University, Providence, RI, Tuba is dedicated to fostering cross-cultural understanding between the U.S. and India through innovative language teaching strategies. She embodies the Fulbright mission of promoting mutual understanding and international cooperation, enriching both educational systems with her diverse experiences and expertise. Tuba aspires to redefine educational paradigms, aiming to inspire future generations to embrace diversity and global citizenship.

Manvi Tandon

Manvi Tandon is a PhD candidate at the Department of English, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi. She completed her master’s in English literature from Banaras Hindu University in 2022, following which she taught English at North-Eastern Hill University, Tura, Meghalaya for a semester as a guest lecturer. For her doctoral research, Manvi is studying narratives of relational childhood trauma. She is working in the area of childhood studies and is deeply interested in childhood ideology and child rights advocacy. Her academic interests include childhood narratives, translation, and popular culture.

Manvi studies Indian fiction for her doctoral thesis. She avidly participated in volunteering and social work during her undergraduate days through the National Service Scheme (NSS), and an internship at My Home India where she worked with ‘Children Under Need for Care and Protection.’

As a Fulbright Foreign Language Teaching Assistant, Manvi is assisting with teaching Hindi at the Department of Asian Studies, the University of Texas at Austin, TX. She hopes to contribute to the university’s language programs and foster cross-cultural understanding. This opportunity will also allow her to immerse herself in American culture and share her knowledge of Indian life, to fulfill her role as a cultural ambassador.

Sneha Sharma

Sneha Sharma is a dedicated Hindi tutor from Jorhat, Assam. She completed her master’s in linguistics from Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, where she received a gold medal for her academic excellence. She also holds a master’s in English from the University of Delhi and completed her undergraduate studies at Sophia Girls’ College, Ajmer, where she was actively involved in various co-curricular activities. Sneha was a vibrant member of the college comm unity, participating in the theatre society, volunteering for the National Service Scheme (NSS), and serving on the editorial board of the university magazine.

Sneha has a profound passion for folk songs, Indian mythology, and various Indian dance forms. She is currently training in the Indian classical dance form Kathak and has a two year diploma in the same. Her love for languages and cultures extends beyond her formal education; she hosts a podcast and maintains a blog trying to promote the use of Hindi in the social sphere. She also authored a research paper titled “Birds in Selected Folksongs of Rajasthan,” highlighting her deep interest in regional folklore and culture.

As a Fulbright Foreign Language Teaching Assistant, Sneha is teaching Hindi at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI. She aims to inspire and educate by blending traditional and modern elements, making learning an enriching and enjoyable journey for all her students. She is also keen to imbibe the teaching pedagogy of the U.S. so that innovative ideas may be formed and utilized in her teaching career.